Generations Part 2
By Brian Kelly

For Agent Profiles, please refer here.

Caitlin hid her car, the Lightning, in a cave. "As much as I hate to do this, I must." she thought. "This car is a major anachronism."

Soon after, she was walking along the highway. She opened up her jacket to reveal her blouse underneath. She left her mask in the car. "What do I remember about 1986?" she thought. "Challenger explosion, the Statue of Liberty's centenial, and, of course, she won at Le Mans." She continued to walk, hoping for someone to be kind enough to help her.

"Caitlin...disappeared?" asked Jeremy as he and his fellow 2006 MASK agents surrounded the spot Caitlin had disappeared from.

"I'm telling you only what I saw with my own eyes!" said Rocky. "One minute, she's there. The next, POOF!"

"No." said Max. "Why Caitlin?"

"She was so good." said Scooter.

"Unbelievable." said Jeremy.

"Hey, wait a minute." said Wei. "There's nothing to indicate she was killed. She might still be alive somewhere."

"Yeah, you're right." said Rocky.

"We have to keep looking." said Max.

"Yes, that's correct." said Jeremy. "We'll begin a search. We need to find out exactly what happened. For now, I have to put this into my report."

"Cheer up, Jeremy." said Laura. "I'm sure Caitlin's still alive."

"Me too." said Jeremy. "But if she is, then where is she?"

Dusty drove back from the towers. "Never saw anything like that before." he thought. "That might've been related to the electrical disturbance." Suddenly, he saw Caitlin walking along the road and pulled alongside her.

"Excuse me, miss." he said. "You seem to be lost. Need a ride?"

"Thanks." said Caitlin as she thought for a good excuse as to why she was out there. "I was out hiking with some friends and I got lost."

"Sorry to hear that." said Dusty. "I'll take care of you." As he drove off, he thought "Something about her story doeesn't wash."

"Boy, that story was lame." thought Caitlin as Dusty took her to who-knows-where. "But what should I expect in half a second?"

"Currently, agent Caitlin Horowitz is unaccounted for." said Jeremy as he finished up his report. "I want to remain hopeful that we'll find her safe, but that hope is running out."

He put down his tape recorder and looked out the window of his Corvette to see Max standing there. "What's up, Max?" he asked.

"We were just talking and I think we've found a way to find out what happened to Caitlin." said Max.

"Go ahead." said Jeremy.

"We send someone into the Foxhole and find out what that is." explained Max. "Since that's usually my duty, I volunteer."

"Be careful, Max." warned Jeremy. "You're taking a big risk."

"Hey, it's what I live for." said Max. He returned to his Xterra to find Laura and Rocky waiting for him.

"What'd he say?" asked Laura.

"He okayed it." said Max. "We can go into Foxhole to find out what happened."

"Then let's go." said Rocky. The three agents got into their vehicles and started driving.

"Finding Foxhole now should be a cinch." said Laura.

"Yeah, good thing the Juggernaut leaves a trail a blind man can follow." said Rocky as drove between the two large ruts left in the desert sand by the Juggernaut's tires.

Dusty pulled up to the pizza parlor he owned as his cover job. He and Caitlin got out of the Gator and entered the building. Caitlin sat at a table while Dusty walked into the office.

"It's good to sit down." said Caitlin as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I gotta take care of some business." said Dusty. "I'll be back shortly."

He closed the door and walked over to a communicator. He hated being secretive to Caitlin, but he couldn't let her find out he was a MASK agent. He turned on the communicator and Matt's face appeared onscreen.

"Dusty! What did you find?" asked Matt.

"I found a lot of metal." said Dusty. "A frame, three towers, and a booth of some kind."

"Is that all?" said Matt.

"That's not all." said Dusty. "I also ran into this woman. She says she was hiking with friends and got lost."

"What's so weird about that?" asked Matt.

"She's dressed way too nicely and heavily to be a hiker." explained Dusty. "Especially in the desert."

"You've got a point, Dusty." said Matt.

"Want me to keep an eye on her?" asked Dusty.

"Yeah, you'd better." said Matt. "I'll have Gloria check on the towers. Trakker out."

The Xterra and Harley-Davidson pulled up to the side of a mountain. Max and Laura got out of the Xterra and Rocky got off his Harley. All three had their masks on.

"I'm going in." said Max.

"Be careful." said Laura.

"Motion detectors all around." said Rocky. "Quite a few Hornets too."

"No problem." said Max as he walked towards the entrance to a cave.

Inside, Dr. Frankenstein watched as something showed up on the sensors. "Hey, something's approaching!" he said.

Outside, Max watched as the motion detectors started showing up on his mask's sensors. He was ready for them, though. "Whisper, on!" he said. He was covered in a field of blue energy and his footsteps became silent.

"It's gone." said Frankenstein. "Must've been a coyote."

Max walked down the corridor. He walked through a group of Hornet androids knowing he couldn't be seen by their sonar and motion detectors. Then he jumped behind a crate upon seeing a blond woman approaching. He immediately recognized her as one of the Foxes, Flash. He decided to follow her and was led to a room with a lot of shouting. Darwood was furious and taking it out on Skull and Crossbones.

"You imbeciles!" he screamed. "This is exactly what I wanted you to prevent!"

"Alright, so we used it a little early." said Crossbones.

"And you used it on someone you shouldn't have!" yelled Darwood. "Someone you REALLY shouldn't have!"

"Relax!" said Skull. "She's a MASK agent. She's not gonna erase you from the timeline."

"What are you talking about?" asked Flash.

"Oh, nothing." said Darwood. "I just had Frankenstein and Skull whip up a time portal and then Skull and Crossbones let A MASK AGENT GET SUCKED THROUGH!"

"A time portal?!" replied Flash.

"A time portal?" whispered Max.

"Yes, it's hard to believe, but it's true!" said Darwood. "I've been dreaming of this moment for years. I can take us back in time to before Jeremy Sanchez had his MASK team. Back to when Miles Mayhem was in charge of VENOM. Then the original MASK team will have a run for their money."(Note:Darwood remembers Jeremy from when he came to make an arrest.)

"This guy is nuttier than a fruitcake." whispered Max. "But what if he's right? Is that what happened to Caitlin?"

"Darwood! The car's finished." said Rocks.

"Excellent!" said Darwood. "At least something's going right."

Max followed Darwood and the others back to the vehicle bay to find the Trans-Am looking as good as new.

"It should be running perfectly now." said Meyers. "Looks good too."

"Very nice." said Darwood. "Hack, Slash, take the car to the ghost town. Skull, Crossbones, Rocks, come along as security."

"What about me?" asked Meyers.

"Oh, of course." said Darwood. "Frankenstein, pay the man after we leave."

"Yessir." said Frankenstein.

Darwood climbed into his Acura NSX, the Firefox. Skull and Crossbones got into the Juggernaut. Hack and Slash got into the Trans-Am. Finally, Rocks jumped into his Hummer, the Lion. They started their engines and drove away. After they left, Frankenstein pulled out a small box and pushed a button. A group of Hornets armed with assault rifles walked up to Meyers.

"What are you doing?" asked Meyers.

"Paying you." said Frankenstein. "Get 'im, boys."

He pushed another button on the box and the Hornets raised their guns.

"No, wait!" yelled Meyers.

Suddenly, the Beluga rolled down a ramp and mowed down the androids. Nothing was left but spare parts. Max walked away from where the van was parked and said "Oh gee, looks like someone left the parking brake undone."

"Uh, I just remembered something I'd rather be doing." said Frankenstein as he ran off.

Max walked over to Meyers. "Who are you?" asked Meyers.

"A friend of yours and an enemy of theirs." said Max. "Now, let's getcha outta here."

Caitlin had been in the pizza parlor for a couple of hours. She had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Suddenly, she had a brainstorm. "Dusty, do you have a pen and some paper?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah." said Dusty. "Why?"

"I just need to send a message to someone." she replied. "I need to let them know I'm alright."

"Okay, if you insist." said Dusty as he handed her a pen and paper. She started writing immediately, but Dusty felt suspicious. Why was she being so secretive? He had an excuse, but what was her's? He couldn't help but think about what her true mission was.

Max helped Jeff Meyers out of Foxhole and set him down against the Bear. "Laura, I've got a patient for you." he said.

"He seems to be in good condition." said Laura as she looked over Meyers.

"You guys are not gonna believe this." said Max. "The Foxes have built a time portal!"

"What?" said Laura and Rocky at the same time.

"I heard Darwood talking about it with the others." explained Max. "Caitlin must've been sent to the past."

"If this is some kind of joke..." said Laura.

"It's true." said Meyers. "Darwood is going back in time to perform some kind of heist. I don't know why."

"You're serious?" asked Rocky.

"Positive." said Meyers.

"They must've stolen the car because theirs are all anachonistic." said Laura.

"But why the Trans-Am?" asked Max. "There were cars on the lot that were at least as old."

"It was probably the car from the time period in the best condition." said Rocky.

"And you know Hack." said Laura. "It was probably the only car on the lot he was willing to drive."

"Where are they now?" asked Rocky.

"They're taking the car into the past." said Meyers.

"They're going back to the ghost town." said Max.

"Then let's go." said Laura.

"And I'm done." said Caitlin as she finished writing her letter. "Dusty, can you give me a ride to the local Western Union?"

"Sure, but can I ask you something?" asked Dusty.

"What?" said Caitlin.

"Who did you write to?" said Dusty.

"Um, a friend." said Caitlin.

"About what?" said Dusty.

"It's personal." she said.

"Well, if you insist." said Dusty. This was getting ridiculous. She was obviously hiding something now.

Caitlin started for the door. She knew Dusty was most likely on to her. She was so nervous she dropped her purse upon picking it up. "Oh no!" she shouted.

"Let me help you with that." said Dusty. He helped her pick up the contents of her purse. Caitlin's change purse had fallen out and popped open when she dropped it and Dusty helped her pick up the coins. Dusty took a quick look at a quarter, looked away, then looked back with surprise.

"Um, Caitlin." he said. "Could you please tell exactly where you're from?" He held up the quarter and showed her the coin's date of 1998. Caitlin immediately looked shocked upon realizing her secret was out.

Darwood watched as Hack and Slash got into the Trans-Am. He handed them a letter through the open window.

"You have your instructions." he said. "Be sure to execute them properly."

"You got it, boss!" said Hack. He picked up his mask and put it on. Slash did the same. Hack then drove the Trans-Am into the center of the ghost town and parked on the same steel plate Caitlin had parked on only hours earlier.

"Everything is ready!" called Skull from the control room.

"Good!" said Darwood. "Try not to mess it up this time!"

"Hey, how many screw-ups can we pull off in one day?" asked Crossbones.

Skull pushed the button that Rocky had accidentally hit and once again, electricity started to collect at the tops of the towers. Darwood, Rocks, and Crossbones shielded their eyes as the electricity focused on the Trans-Am and created a bright flash. When it cleared, the car was gone.

"Shut it down." said Darwood. "And hurry back to your vehicle. We have about five minutes to see if it worked."

"You got it, chief." said Skull.

Little did they know, Jeremy was watching from half a mile away. After the Trans-Am disappeared, he headed back to the rest area to meet with Wei and Scooter.

"They just sent Hack and Slash through the electrical storm." he announced. "I'm now convinced it is not a weapon."

"Unless Hack and Slash pulled off some major screw-up that we don't know about." said Wei.

"Excuse me, is your name Jeremy Sanchez?" asked a man in a Western Union uniform.

"Uh, yes it is." said Jeremy.

"We received this letter twenty years ago to be delivered to you." the man explained as he handed Jeremy the letter that Caitlin wrote. "The strange thing is it's one of two such letters to be delivered to this area that were sent twenty years ago."

"Here you go." said Jeremy as he tipped the man.

"Thank you." said the man as he headed back to his car.

"What is it?" asked Scooter.

"It's from Caitlin." said Jeremy. He read the letter to them.

"Dear guys, by now Rocky has told you what happened. I don't know what he told you, but it must've made you think the worst. It's March 6, 1986 as I write this. Yes, I've been transported through time. It's hard to belive I've actually been shot through time. It's also hard to believe we've uncovered this while investigating what looked like a simple car theft. It's even harder to believe the Foxes made this. I'll try to find a way back to 2006. In the meantime, keep in mind that I'm okay. Love, Caitlin."

"A time warp?" said Wei.

"The Foxes made one?" said Scooter.

"It sure looks that way." said Jeremy.

"Hey, didn't that guy say he was delivering another letter from twenty years ago?" asked Wei.

"I'm pretty sure he did." said Scooter.

"Let's see if my suspicions are true." said Jeremy as he put on his mask and plugged in a cable that connected the mask to the glove on his right hand. He then reached out his hand and said "White Hawk, on!"

As he said that, a mass of white energy in the shape of a hawk flew from the visor on his mask.

"Then there was a flash of light and here I am." said Caitlin.

"It's unbelievable." said Dusty. "But I'm obliged to believe it." he continued while looking at the quarter in his hand.

"I'm sorry I was so secretive." said Caitlin.

"It's okay. I understand what it's like to have such a major secret." said Dusty. "So what were you doing around the towers?"

"I was investigating." explained Caitlin. "This is going to sound even harder to believe, but I'm with a team of specialized operatives called MASK."

Dusty suddenly perked up. "Uh, does that stand for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand?" he asked.

"How did you...don't tell me." said Caitlin.

"Yep." said Dusty. "I guess we have a lot in common."

"Weird." said Caitlin. "I get shot back in time twenty years and meet another MASK agent."

"Why didn't you use the time portal to go back to the future?" asked Dusty.

"I tried, but the equipment wasn't installed." said Caitlin. "There were no components in the towers, generator frame, or control booth."

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. Matt was on the other end. "Dusty? Are you there?" he said.

Dusty picked up the microphone. "Dusty here. What's up?" he said.

"We've picked up another electrical disturbance." said Matt. "Gloria said she saw a black Trans-Am appear out of nowhere after the electricity died down. Then two guys got out and started putting some kind of equipment into the towers and booth you saw. I think you should check it out."

"What about Gloria?" asked Dusty.

"She's keeping an eye on everything until you get there." said Matt. "Don't worry, she won't let them escape."

"Right, I'm on my way." said Dusty as he turned off the radio. He then started for the door.

"Let me come with." said Caitlin.

"Huh?" said Dusty.

"I might be able to help you." said Caitlin. "Besides, I might be able to return now."

"Okay, let's go." said Dusty.

Darwood sat in his NSX waiting. "Please don't tell me I missed him." he thought.

"Excuse me, are you Malcolm Darwood?" asked the Western Union man.

"Yes." said Darwood.

"I received instructions to deliver this letter here today." said the delivery man.

"Thank you. Here's your tip." said Darwood as he exchanged the letter for a dollar. He laughed as the Western Union man drove off.

"Aren't you going to read it?" asked Flash.

"I don't need to." said Darwood. "I had Hack and Slash send this 20 years ago." He showed her the postmark. "This proves that the time portal worked."

"That means that MASK agent is in the past as well." said Flash.

"I had her termination added to Hack and Slash's to-do list." said Darwood. "She'll be no bother." He laughed as he thought of the death of one of his adversaries. He didn't notice the white energy mass in the shape of a hawk above him.

Back at the rest area, Jeremy used the white hawk to spy on the delivery of Darwood's letter. "Darwood! I should've known!" he yelled.

"So, it's true. It's all true." said Scooter.

"Let's mobilize." said Jeremy. "We have to force him to bring Caitlin back."

Jeremy climbed into the Skyhawk and Wei and Scooter got into the Mammoth. Within half a minute, they were heading for Darwood's location. Along the way, Jeremy's radio came on. "Jeremy, are you there?" asked Max.

"Yeah, I'm here." said Jeremy.

"This is gonna sound really crazy." said Max. "The Foxes have built a time portal."

"I know. That's what happened to Caitlin." said Jeremy. "They've used it again. Hack and Slash are currently in the past."

"I still can't believe this is happening." said Max. "The Foxes built a time portal. The Foxes! Oh, by the way, we rescued Meyers."

"Good job." said Jeremy. "Want to help us force Darwood to bring Caitlin back?"

"Sure thing." said Max.

Slash finished bolting the time travel components in the towers. "I'm done!" he shouted.

"Great, let's get started on the control booth." said Hack. Neither had any idea they were being watched. MASK agent Gloria Baker sat in the cockpit of the Shark and watched the two Foxes through the periscope.

"Let me get this straight." she said. "You want me to LET them install that stuff?"

"It's important." said Dusty over the radio. "Keep an eye on them. We'll be there soon." He raced down the dirt road in the Gator. He had changed into his MASK outfit and Caitlin had zipped up her jacket.

"Drop me off at this cave and catch up." said Caitlin.

"Huh? Why?" said Dusty.

"I left my mask in the car." she explained. "I'll be there soon. I promise."

"Alright." said Dusty. He stopped the Gator and let Caitlin out. He was already begining to trust her again. He continued on to the towers.

Meanwhile, Hack and Slash had finished with the installation. "Maybe we should check it again." said Slash.

"We checked it a thousand times." said Hack as he crossed "Install components into towers" off the list Darwood had given him. "Now, let's go."

Just as he and Slash headed for the Trans-Am, the Shark surfaced and Gloria started firing its lasers at them. "What the heck is that?!" yelled Hack.

"It kinda looks like a Porsche." said Slash.

Gloria drove the Shark onto dry land and changed it back into a car. She climbed out as Dusty pulled up in the Gator.

"They don't appear to be armed." said Dusty.

"I see." said Gloria. "Come along quietly. There is no reason to make this any harder than it is."

"Still, we won't give up without a fight." said Hack. He then jumped towards Gloria and threw a punch. Gloria managed to knock it away with a kung fu block. Dusty wasn't as lucky. Slash grabbed him by the shoulders and said "Surge, on!"

A burst of electricity knocked Dusty out cold. Slash pulled out his crowbar and raised it above his head. He started to swing it towards Dusty when suddenly, Caitlin showed up on the scene and said "Lightspeed, fire!"

The resulting laser blast cut Slash's crowbar in half. Slash narrowly missed Dusty with one half while the other half fell safely to the ground. "Why don't you pick on someone from your own time?" said Caitlin.

"You'll pay for that!" yelled Slash. He ran towards Caitlin and said "Eat this!"

He tried to drop his fist on her, but Caitlin grabbed his arm and sent him to the ground. "Sorry." she said. "I'm not hungry."

Hack tried to find a hole in Gloria's defenses, but each punch was met with a block. On the other hand, Gloria wasn't getting any chances to land a punch of her own. "Come on. You can do better than that." she said.

Slash returned to his feet. He tried to smash Caitlin over the head again, but Caitlin managed to knock him to the ground again. Meanwhile, Gloria was able to work a spin kick into one of her blocks and sent Hack reeling. He went to the ground after tripping over Slash.

"I've got a new plan." said Hack.

"Which is?" asked Slash.

"Trade dance partners." said Hack.

"Sounds good." said Slash.

Hack and Slash got back up and attacked Caitlin and Gloria respectively. Slash tried to perform the overhead smash on Gloria, but she trapped his arm like Caitlin did. Caitlin countered Hack's first punch with a similar arm grab. Gloria counted "One, two, three!" and at three, she and Caitlin pushed Hack and Slash into each other. The two men dropped to the ground quickly.

"I have another new plan." said Hack.

"What's that?" asked Slash.

"We get back to the car and get out of here." said Hack.

"Best one yet." said Slash.

The two of them got back up and ran back to the Trans-Am. Slash jumped over the door and sank through the open T-top into the passenger seat. Hack slid across the hood and jumped into the driver's seat. Within seconds, he had the engine started and the accelerator floored. He drove away from the battle and headed straight towards the side of a cliff.

"Is he nuts?!" asked Gloria.

"Oh, that's right." said Caitlin. "You don't know what his mask does."

Hack drove towards the cliff wall and said "Gecko, on!" The wheels of the Trans-Am started to glow and the car drove up the side of the cliff.

"Looks like he got away." said Caitlin. "This time."

"Right, we'll get him next time." said Gloria. "But for now, we need to help Dusty."

They walked over to where Dusty laid and helped him rest against the Gator. Caitlin removed his mask. Dusty just groaned.

"Dusty, are you alright?" asked Caitlin.

"I think so." said Dusty. "All I remember is being grabbed by that ape and being shocked."

Caitlin took off her mask. "They got away." she said. "Who knows what they're up to?"

"I don't know." said Gloria. "But you can be sure MASK will be on the case." she continued as she removed her mask. Then Caitlin dropped hers.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "You're Gloria Baker!"

"Uh oh." said Gloria as she realized her cover was blown.

"You were my favorite race car driver when I was growing up!" said a very awestruck Caitlin.

"Gee, thanks." said Gloria.

"Wait a minute." said Caitlin. "You're a MASK agent?!"

"And believe it or not, this is not a dream." said Gloria.

"I'd hate to interrupt, but about those two goons." said Dusty.

"Oh yeah." said Caitlin. "If they are loose in this time, who knows what they could do?"

"We'll keep an eye on them." said Gloria. "I promise."

"I have to get some help." said Caitlin. "I think the rest of their team might be coming too."

"We'll try to get MASK mobilized." said Dusty. "Speaking of mobilizing, how did you get here so fast?"

"Oh, I figured wheels are faster than heels." said Caitlin as she led Dusty and Gloria to an embankment. "So I brought my car." she continued as she showed them the Lightning.

"Hoo-wee!" said Dusty. "What kind of car is that?"

"It's a 2001 Lamborghini Diablo." explained Caitlin. "I call it the Lightning."

"You can tell us about it later." said Gloria. "Right now, time is of the essence."

"Right." said Caitlin. "Oh, before I forget." she said as she tossed Dusty her quarter.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"Proof." said Caitlin.

Within a few minutes, she was parked on the steel plate again. Dusty was in the control booth trying to figure out the controls. "Is this real complicated?" he asked.

"No, my partner activated it by accident." said Caitlin.

"Okay." said Dusty as he pushed the button. Electricity started to collect at the tops of the towers. Just before the flash, Caitlin said to herself "I just hope this works both ways."

Dusty and Gloria shielded their eyes from the flash and when they lowered their hands, Caitlin was gone. Dusty groaned and leaned against the panel.

"Are you going to be alright?" asked Gloria.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be alright." said Dusty. "In fact, I have a feeling we all will." he said as he looked at the quarter.